Friday Briefing: Flood risk hangs over Portugal

Good morning and welcome to PORTUGAL DECODED. The weather has shifted sharply as a cold front arrived. It raises a question in many people's minds after Spain’s recent floods: could it happen here?

TALK OF THE TOWN

Flooding in Southern Spain | NASA Earth Observatory

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POLITICS

Health Minister Ana Paula Martins is battling for political survival after it emerged that she ignored a strike notice by emergency workers linked to eleven fatalities. Yesterday, President Marcelo said that responsibilities must be identified “no matter who it affects” (More).

A former Liberal Initiative (IL) Presidential candidate - who, until this week, was also a contender to the party’s leadership - resigned from the Presidency of a Porto municipal council following a signatures’ forgery scandal (More).

SOCIETY

More than 50,000 sheep have died as a result of a bluetongue disease outbreak ravaging through Portugal, with reported losses already surpassing €6 million, according to the Portuguese Farmers’ Confederation (CAP) (More).

Echoing the recent high-profile escape from Vale de Judeus prison, a 36-year-old prisoner escaped from police custody just as he was entering the Lisbon Court of Appeal. On Wednesday, he was caught in Estômbar, Lagoa (More).

ECONOMICS

More than 71,000 people attended the Web Summit in Lisbon this week, a record number. Founder Paddy Cosgrave said that he hopes the summit stays in the Portuguese capital “forever” - read here my personal take on the event (More).

Portugal’s year-on-year inflation rate rose to 2.3% in October, an increase of 0.2 percentage points from September, mirroring the Eurozone trend (More).

CULTURE AND SPORTS

The Portuguese jazz community is in turmoil following the emergence of nearly 80 reports of sexual harassment of minors, rape, stalking, and non-consensual non-use of condoms filed in a few days (More).

Jim Jarmush, Nubya Garcia and Frank Zappa are among the highlights of the Casa da Música’s 2025 concert season, in the year that the iconic institution celebrates its 20th anniversary (More).

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DECODER

Could it happen here?

The phenomenon which struck Spain – known as Isolated Depression at High Levels, or DANA in Spanish – typically occurs during autumn because the remaining warm surface heat from summer meets a sudden cold invasion aloft from the polar regions. In Portugal, this phenomenon is commonly known as “gota fria” (cold drop) and it’s not uncommon (in fact, we’ll experience it in the next few days). Like in Valencia, there are many mountainous areas and steep slopes near the coast, which make some areas prone to flash floods. So, technically, yes, it could happen here. However, the rains in Portugal don’t usually have the same intensity and regularity as in Spain due to the presence of the Mediterranean Sea, which is warmer than the Atlantic (as you may know!). In Valencia, during the recent events, it rained the equivalent of a whole year in just 8 hours: 491 litres per square metre (mm). This is more than double the maximum ever recorded in mainland Portugal, 220 mm in Penhas da Saúde (Covilhã) in 1997.

Does Portugal have a history of flooding?

The deadly Lisbon floods of 1967.

Yes. Since the 1960s, Portugal has experienced numerous devastating floods, some of which have resulted in significant loss of life and extensive damage. The November 1967 floods, which affected the Lisbon areas, left an estimated 500-700 people dead and thousands homeless, making it the deadliest natural hazard in Portugal since the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Many victims were from poor, vulnerable communities living in low-lying areas and informal settlements. As recently as 2022, heavy rainfall led to widespread flooding in the Lisbon region and parts of central Portugal. The floods caused extensive damage, disrupted transportation, and the death of a 55-year-old woman in downtown Algés, in Oeiras. The tragedy led to calls for better flood management, making it a turning point in addressing Lisbon’s vulnerability to severe weather events.

What has happened since?

Works on the new drainage system in Lisbon.

On April 2024, the Council of Ministers approved the Flood Risk Management Plans (PGRI) to comply with the European Flood Risk Assessment and Management Directive. The plans foresee 584 measures to improve the resilience and reduce vulnerability of the 102 municipalities considered at risk (see infographic above), with a total investment of 216.77 M€, to be implemented between 2022 and 2027. Meanwhile, works on the Lisbon Drainage Plan - a €250 million project aimed at preventing urban flooding by constructing large drainage tunnels, retention basins, and upgrading the city’s drainage network - are well underway and expected to be concluded by 2025. Furthermore, since 2022, both the council and the National Civil Protection Authority have sent out an SMS alert whenever the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) identifies the risk of torrential rains.

Does this mean that the recent deadly floods in Valencia would not happen here?

Not exactly. Studies say that the new Lisbon Drainage System could prevent around 20 serious floods in the next 100 years, thus averting damages in the order of hundreds of millions of euros. However, even this new system would struggle to be effective in an extreme weather event like the one recently faced in Spain. “The situation in Valencia is absolutely extraordinary,” the former Chairman of the Order of Engineers, Carlos Mineiro Aires, told Observador. For his part, Jorge Mendes, commander of the Cabo Ruivo Volunteer Fire Brigade, told CNN Portugal that in theory the plan would work; there doubts if it would work in practice too. There’s the fact that many people don’t own or look at their mobiles phones and there could be also human mistakes (for example, in sending out the alerts).

What should you do in case of heavy rain?

Yesterday, there were already flash floods in Albufeira and Olhão | Images: X

In urban areas, people should lock up everything they can so that the water doesn’t get inside and move to higher ground immediately. When the alert is given in advance, people shouldn’t travel by car; they should opt to telework instead. Stay informed by monitoring weather alerts and following official guidance and avoid walking, swimming, or driving through floodwaters. Turn off electricity to prevent electrocution if flooding begins in your area. Keep an emergency kit with essentials like food, water, and medications, ‘a means of communication that does not fail” and a way to signal your presence to the rescue teams. Lisbon residents can receive SMS from the municipal civil protection service for alerts in the capital, a service they need to sign up for by sending the text AVISOSLX to the number 927 944 000.

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TIPS OF THE WEEK

Lisbon

The Science Behind Pixar

Have you always been curious to understand how the characters in your favourite childhood films come to life? The Science Behind Pixar takes you behind the scenes of the production processes of our most beloved animated films, exploring the science and technology behind films such as Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, or Inside Out. Created by the Museum of Science in Boston and Pixar Studios, the new exhibition at the Pavilion of Knowledge – Ciência Viva Centre is organised into eight areas, with more than 50 interactive experiences spread across two rooms. Tuesday to Friday, 10 am - 6 pm; Weekends and Holidays, 10 am - 7 pm. Admission: 10€ to 14€. Until September 14, 2025.

Porto

Keeping Tale of Current Times | Jean-Luc Godard - Visual Work

For the first time, Jean-Luc Godard’s career as a creator of still images, ranging from his childhood to 2022, will be on view at this exhibition organized by the Serralves Foundation, which opened on Wednesday. Most of Godard’s visual works (paintings, drawings, notebooks, digital images), as well as family photographs taken by his mother Odile Monod, have never before been exhibited. The exhibition also explores the artistic relationship between Jean-Luc Godard and iconic Portuguese filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira, who met in 1993 for a major interview for Libération, appearing on the paper’s cover on 4-5 September. The full program for the exhibition and accompanying events, which will run until May 11, 2025, can be seen here.

Braga

Utopia Literary Festival

Over the course of 11 days, Braga – one of the youngest, most dynamic cities in Portugal – will be the home, depository and driving force of the best that books have to offer. The event will bring together over 100 guests, from writers to national and international cultural figures, including Leila Slimani, Paula Hawkins, and Gonçalo M. Tavares, to celebrate the many facets of literature. Under the theme “All literature is a utopia,” the festival will feature two thematic cycles - Utopia Europa and Utopia Negra - which will guide a program with over 100 free activities for all ages. Most of the programme will take place at Espaço Vita, though other venues, such as Theatro Circo, will also stage parts of Utopia. More information here.

Viseu

World Cheese Awards

Organized by The Guild of Fine Food, the 36th edition of the World Cheese Awards is taking place at the Pavilhão Multiúsos of Viseu, between November 15-17. It’s the first time that Portugal hosts the competition. During these three days, fans and connoisseurs of cheese will have the opportunity to taste the 4,784 cheeses (182 cheeses of which are Portuguese), from 47 countries that will be subject to the jury made up of more than around 250 experts from 40 nationalities. The weekend features several activities around cheese, from guided tours of the WCA grounds, which include tastings of a selection of cheeses accompanied by a member of the jury, a producers' fair, tastings and product presentations, as well as pairings of wines with cheeses. Admission is free.